Antonella Lombardo Autoritratto Mantonico 2023

Grape: Mantonico
Vintage: 2023
Type: White

Sourced from sunny, sea-facing plots in the Costa dei Gelsomini near Blanco, Calabria, this single-varietal bottling highlights the ancient, indigenous mantonico grape. Antonella Lombardo farms her coastal vineyards organically, rooted in clay and calcareous soils that capture intense Mediterranean light. The hand-harvested fruit undergoes a brief skin maceration followed by spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in neutral vessels. The wine ages on fine lees with gentle handling to build structure while preserving the variety's naturally high acidity and tactile phenolics. Bottled with minimal sulfur, this is a distinct, low-intervention Southern Italian white defined by coastal tension and raw stone-fruit character.

A bright golden-straw color opens to aromatics of dried apricot, salt-cured lemon, crushed Mediterranean maquis, and smoky minerals. The palate is dry, dense, and tactile, delivering bold flavors of yellow plum, raw almond, dried chamomile, and sea salt framed by a fine, gripping phenolic texture. A driving line of natural acidity cuts through the wine's broader, leesy mid-palate, maintaining crisp focus and vertical energy. It concludes on a long, savory finish marked by persistent notes of citrus pith, bitter herbs, and crushed rock.